This page states BMU-wide publishing principles. It does not replace journal-specific author guidelines, peer-review descriptions, fee schedules or discipline-specific ethical requirements. Operational claims apply only where implemented by the relevant journal or publisher system.
Human-participant research
Research involving people, human tissue or identifiable human data should have appropriate ethical oversight, informed consent or a justified exemption, and reporting that allows editors and readers to understand the ethical basis of the work.
Where local law or institutional practice sets a lower standard than the journal’s adopted ethical requirements, the journal may apply the higher standard necessary to protect participants and the scholarly record.
Consent and identifiable information
Authors are responsible for obtaining valid informed consent where required and for minimising unnecessary identifying information. Consent to participate in research and consent to publish identifiable information are distinct requirements.
Where a participant could reasonably be recognised from text, images, pedigrees or contextual details, publication should ordinarily require explicit consent unless a lawful and ethically justified exception applies.
Vulnerable participants
Research involving children, persons with impaired decision-making capacity, dependent relationships or other vulnerable groups requires heightened attention to consent, assent, coercion, privacy and risk.
Animal research
Animal studies should have appropriate ethical or regulatory approval where required, should follow accepted standards of humane care and should be reported transparently enough to evaluate welfare, methods and scientific justification.
Clinical trials and prospective registration
Clinical trials should be registered prospectively where required by the journal’s adopted standards and the relevant study design. Registration should identify prespecified outcomes and support transparency about protocol changes.
Retrospective registration should not be presented as equivalent to prospective registration, and unexplained discrepancies between protocol, registry and manuscript should be addressed.
Reporting standards and statistical transparency
Authors should use reporting guidance appropriate to study design and provide enough methodological and statistical detail for critical evaluation. Selective reporting, undisclosed outcome switching and misleading presentation are inconsistent with transparent scholarship.
Biological specimens, genetics and biobanks
Research involving biological materials, genetic information, biobanks, transplantation or human remains should address consent, provenance, custodianship, cultural considerations, privacy and relevant legal or institutional requirements.
Dual-use, biosafety and environmental risk
Research that could create significant misuse, biosafety, biosecurity or environmental risk may require additional editorial assessment. Publication decisions should balance legitimate scientific communication with the need to avoid unjustifiable serious harm.
Policy basis and interpretation
Adapted principally from JHWCR Policies 17–23. The BMU version generalises journal-specific material into a publisher framework and removes details that should remain title-specific. Where a journal publishes a more specific requirement that is consistent with these principles, the journal-specific rule governs that journal's submissions.
Questions about this framework may be sent to info@bmuventures.com.